The Wedding Ring Quilt

Grandma pieces the double wedding ring quilt by hand. It is made from leftover scraps from handmade clothes and set together with white. Each stitch is made with love as she thinks of the bride and groom that will sleep under the warm cover. Each piece was precisely cut into the exact shape to make them fit together without puckers. The seams are stitched to an exact width. It takes weeks to get the blocks pieced together.

Time to get the frames out. Her frames hang from hooks on the ceiling. The lining is stretched tightly over the two sides and tacked in place. She once used cotton batting, but now she uses fiberfil. It’s so much easier to sew through and is just as warm. The fiberfil is unrolled on the lining and pulled to the edges. Finally the pieced top is spread on top and pinned in place with long pins. Long narrow scrap pieces are wrapped around the ends and pinned to all layers pulling them all tight. One side is rolled as tightly as her aging hands can make it.

The day after day of sewing a pattern along the design in delicate small stitches leaves her hands tired and sore. She doesn’t mind because each stitch says, “I love you.” Slowly, but surely, she unrolls the next row and the next until she ties of the stitch off.

The quilt is carefully unrolled and unpinned. All that is left is the binding around the edge. She isn’t doing this one with a straight edge but curved around the edge rings. It takes a little longer but it’s worth it for the effect. Grandma is pleased with the end results.

She is beaming when the bride opens the package at the wedding shower. The bride’s
reaction is worth every minute spent, every needle finger stick, and every stitch made.